Hydraulic press



Jan. 10, 1956 A. v. LOCATELLI 2,729,371

HYDRAULIC PRESS Filed Jan. 29, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet l A Trek/v6 r Jan. 10, 1956 A. v. LOCATELLI 2,729,871

HYDRAULIC PRESS Filed Jan. 29, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A Tro RNEY Jan. 10, 1956 A. v. LOCATELLI 2,729,371

HYDRAULIC PRESS Filed Jan. 29, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Jan. 10, 1956 A. v. LOCATELLI 2,729,871

HYDRAULIC PRESS Filed Jan. 29, 1952 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 I I::Z:'l l [I l g a 1 2 f4? a l i 52 i I l i i l 1 i 7 i i '1 I 1 F\ 4 my. 6 48 47 47 A 7'TORIV6 Y Jan. 10, 1956 A. v. LOCATELLI HYDRAULIC PRESS 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed Jan. 29, 1952 A 110 awe Y United States Patent (3 HYDRAULIC PRESS Antonio Vittorio Locatelli, Rome, Italy Application January 29, 1952, Serial No. 268,752-

Claims priority, application Italy February 28, 1951 3 Claims. (Cl. 25--54) The subject of the present invention is a hydraulic press for dry forming pierced tiles, bricks and similar articles, of various shapes and dimensions by means of a rapid and economic production system which permits utilizing, in addition to the usual clays and chalks, also materials of other types either in powder form or capable of being powdered, mixed with suitable binders.

The procedure of forming the tiles according to this system consists in pressing the powdered material in rigid molds by means of special punches covered with expandable envelopes, within which is introduced compressed water under high pressure in order to generate within the above mentioned material the holes required in the block of tiling to be formed.

To render the production readier and quicker, the press is equipped with a special device for automatically placing the molds under the above mentioned punches and automatically removing said molds when formation has been completed. In addition, a special feeding apparatus to which the material flows from the storage means in a continuous manner, takes care of filling the molds with the material to be compressed. In the attached drawings:

Fig. l is a view and a vertical half section of the press;

Fig.2 is a horizontal view and section of the same;

Fig. 3 is the same horizontal section as in Fig. 2, seen from below instead of from above;

Fig. 4 is an isometric view of one of the rigid molds;

Fig. 4a is a fragmentary sectional view through the latching spring of the mold shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 4b is a fragmentary sectional view through the dogging pins of the mold shown in Fig. 4,

Fig. 5 is a vertical half section of one of the expandable punches,

Fig. 5a is a horizontal section through the punch shown in Fig. 5,

Figs. 6 and 7 show the feeding apparatus in vertical and horizontal views;

Fig. 8 is a schematic view of the press together with the feeding apparatus, in vertical projection;

Fig. 9 is a schematic view of the arrangement of the parts of the electric warning device contained in the press;

Fig. 10 is a view of the distribution network of water under pressure to the cylinder, to the punches and to the small upper cylinder of the press;

Fig. 11 is a detail view of the coaxial tube at each of the four columns of the press frame.

Referring now to the above figures:

The reference numeral 1 indicates the molds, of parallelopiped form and rectangular section, without covers, equipped with openable hinged bottom and formed of five dismountable metal plates. Each mold is also equipped on the shorter sides of its rectangular section, withtwo handles 30 which can be folded back and which are kept out in the horizontal position by springs (not.

indicated in the figure). By means of these handles the molds 1 rest on their supporting arms 3, each arm being secured to a difierent one of the four columns 4 of the press framework mounted on the base of the press itself.

Each column 4 is covered for its entire length by a coaxial tube of a diameter slightly greater than that of the column and to which the arms 3 of the press are fastened. Said tube is rotatable around its own axis which is identical with the axis of the column and its rotation is controlled by the action of a gear wheel 5 locked to its top, said gear wheel engaging a rack rod 6 which forms an extension of the shaft 7 of a small piston 8 operating in a small cylinder 9 mounted on the upper cross member of the press frame. The radius of gear wheel 5 and the length of the rack 6 are so dimensioned that for every full stroke (right or left) of the piston 8 in the cylinder 9 two arms 3 will swing two of the molds from their outer positions shown in Fig. 2 into side-by-side positions on the press platform 10 and simultaneously the other two molds, which already have been pressed, will be swung off the press platform to their outer positions. Plat form 10 is mounted on the head of piston 11 of the press, sliding in cylinder 12 into which water under pressure is forced bya separate pump not indicated in the drawings. Under the upper cross member of the frame is fixed the steel plate 19 forming the cover of case 31 within which are arranged, fixed vertically to plate 19, the punches 13 adapted to penetrate within the mass of material continued in the molds 1 below to compress said material against the walls of the molds themselves when water under pressure is introduced into said punches through tubes 20.

The cover 19 has a peripheral dependent flange whose inner edge is beveled. The upper edge of the case 31 is designed to engage said beveled edge, said case 31, when the press is inoperative, resting at centimeter or two from the beveled edge of cover 19 above it. Case 31 is of parallelepiped shape and is formed of four steel plates, fastened solidly together along two diametrically opposite edges 16 (Fig. 3) by means of bolts while the plates at the othertwo edges corresponding to edges 17, are connected together by means of through pins 23 which permit the plates to separate for a distance of about a centimeter. Case 31 moves vertically along four small guide columns 18, two of which have conical thickenings. When the two molds 1, pushed by platform 10, have entirely penetrated within case 31, said case is in turn lifted together with the molds and, in rising, is forced into the beveled edge above it of cover 19, the wedging action of said edge forcing the walls of case 31 together, operating on the through pins 23, and thus to solidly grip the two molds contained in said case. The rise of molds 1 into case 31 is opposed by two spiral springs 43 on each side of the press which reduce the shock against cover 19 and facilitate extraction of the molds themselves from the bottom of case 31 when, on the holes being made, platform 10 descends again. Cover 19 is equipped, on its lower face, with a layer of rubber to prevent part of the compressed material from sticking to the cover, thus causing pitting in the pressed tile block.

The four springs 43 press, at their lower ends, on four disks fixed solidly to the four rods 42 passing through the upper frame member of the press, along-side cover 19, and their lower ends are lifted by the molds when said molds have penetrated about halfway up into case 31. At their upper ends the springs 43 (indicated by dotted lines) press against the lower surface of the upper frame members; while rods 42 are free to slide through said members and are bent at right angles above them, resting with the bent part (Fig. 9) above the ends of four other rods 41 but without making contact with said rods when they move up and down when pressed up by the molds in rising, or when allowed to fall by these same molds in descending.

Rods 41, passing through the upper cross member of the press frame, touch the upper edge of case 31 at their pressed in the molds.

1 broughtthe water under pressure.

lower ends so that, when said case islifted by platform 10, rods 41 are also caused to rise. In rising, however, they never touch the bent part of rod 42 since this latter also rises simultaneously with rods 41 and to a greater height.

If it should happen, through a mistake of the operator or for some other reason, that the molds do not enter case 31 properly and, in rising,- hit the lower edge of said case, it is evident that, pressed upward by the molds, said case would be forced upward ahead of time; as a consequence, rods 41 would, with their upper ends, 4%, hit the bent part of rods 42. In such an exceptional case the Contact between the two above mentioned rods would close an electric circuit (not shown in the drawings) in which a bell is inserted, said bell therefore ringing and. warning the operator of irregular operation of the press. is shown schematically in Fig. 9.

The punches '13 (see Fig. 5) are expandable bodies the number of which varies according to the number of cavities it is desired to generate in the mass of material to be Each punch consists of an internal metallic core 27 screwed to tube 20 through which is Said core is entirely covered with a first layer of rubber 26a equipped with an inner collar 26, this first layer being inserted in a sleeve 26b which is also of rubber. The core 27 is equipped internally with a channel 14 from which the water under pressure, introduced by tube 2!}, flows through orifice 15 to exercise its pressing action all around said core on the double sleeve 26a. and 26b, expanding it so as to compress the material which is around the punch and contained in the mold. In order to make said expansion of the double sleeve of said punch nonuniform in all senses, and prevent, through equal expansion of said sleeve, the walls of the tile blocks from becoming thinner than necessary, the sleeve 26a is equipped (internally within the thickness of the sleeve itself) with four circular segments 2-8 of a material more resistant than rubber, such as nylon or similar material, which extend for the whole cylindrical part of thesleeve itself and which are separated from each other around the sleeve by equal, short arcs of circles, in such manner as to permit the expanding action of the water under pressure within the double sleeve to exercise particular pressure towards the diagonals of the holes. Tubes which bring in the water under pressure, come from a collecting tube 21 above the press which, in turn, comes from a distribution panel 22 (Fig. 10). One of the molds 1 as used in the press in question is shown in isometric in Fig. 4. As will be seen from said Fig. 4, each mold rests with its handles on arms 3 of the press and, through its'own weight, tends to make sides 29 open outward rotating around hinge pins 32 at the top corners of said sides, which rest in slightly larger corresponding holes in the longer sides 33 of themold. Since sides 33 are equipped at their lateral edges with triangular projections 34, sides 29 cannot open unless sides 33 move outward transversely,

parallel to each other along pins 32 so as to allow said sides to slide along the inner inclined plane of projections 34. This is only possible when the fiat latching spring 35 has been opened to permit bottom 36 to become free from the forward wall 33 and open downward around two hinges fastened to the lower edge of the opposite side 33 (the two hinges are not indicated in the drawing).

When bottom 36 opens downward, the pressed block contained within the mold can be extracted, descending through its own Weight. In the normal osition, with mold closed, the opening of the forward side and of the sides 29 is prevented by dogging pins 37 inserted into the edges of the bottom, holding in niches 38 in the forward side 33 and the two sides 29. Handles 30 are provided with points 39 under them, by means of which they rest on the arms 3 of the press.

the elements which form The general arrangement of The arrangement of the above-mentioned rods the device for feeding the material to be compressed in the molds of the press is indicated in Figs. 6 and 7, while Fig. 8 gives a schematic view of the press together with the various elements mentioned above. The feeding device consists essentially of two frames 44, a series of rods 47 and four bins 49 which are vibrated alternately, two by two, by electric vibrators 52. Fixed to platform 10 of the press, one to the right and one to the left, the two frames 44 carrying arms 45 equipped on top with points 46, rise and fall following the movement of platform 10 during operation of the press. Said frames come up, with their points 46, under handles 36 of the molds when these latter are suspended on the outer arms 3 of the press and when they are lifted by platform 10. In this manner said platform, in rising, carries the two molds full of material and resting side by side on it so that they penetrate into case 31, and simultaneously it lifts the two outer and empty molds until rods 47 penetrate entirely within them, said rods being carried under the pierced bottom 48 of the bins 4?.

The rods 47 consists of steel punches of the same form with material from the storage means through heavy canvas funnels connected to the upper edges of the bins themselves and supplied with material directly from the storage means through suitable channeling. The bottom 48 of these bins consists of sheet metal perforated with large holes 5%, either round or square through which the material passes in order to fill the molds below. The bins 49 are connected together, two by two on each side of the press to right and left, by means of a strong piece of metal 51 placed horizontally, on which the electric vibrator 52 is fastened. Said vibrator vigorously shakes the bins in order to cause the powdered material contained within said bins to fall through holes into the two molds underneath, lifted up by frame 44, and in which the rods 47 have penetrated entirely. The shaking movement transmitted by the vibrator to the bottom of the bins and therefore to the rods fastened to said bottoms, cause said rods to exercise a tamping action on the material which falls into the molds, helping it to settle and compressing it lightly so that, when the molds in descending leave the rods, the material within the molds keeps the form impressed in it by said rods in the shape of cylindrical cavities into which the punches 13 off the press can easily penetrate. The formation of perforatedtiles by means of the press in question takes place as follows: at the beginning of the operation, the two righthand molds are arranged as indicated in Fig. 2, rotated outward by 138, resting with handles 30 on arms 3 of the press. The two lefthand molds, also resting on their respective left-hand arms, are standing side by side under case 31 and full of material to be compressed. The

operator, by means of valve C on the distribution paneh.

pression of the material within the left-hand molds.

simultaneously sets thevibr'ator 52 in action thus, through its vibration, impressed on bins 49, causing the "filling of.

the right-hand molds and the tamping of the material within said molds. After the blocks have been formed within the left-hand molds, vibrator 52 is stopped and, by means of valves C and B, the operator causes the water under pressure to leave punches 13 and cylinder 12. Platform thus descends carrying with it the left-hand molds with the pressed blocks within them and also the right-hand molds full of material ready to undergo compression. At this point the operator, by means of valve A, permits water under pressure to reach cylinder 9, the little piston 8 moves towards the left causing the rotation outward of the left hand molds carrying the blocks already compressed, and the rotation upwards of the right-hand molds full of material to be compressed. The operator then causes platform 10 to be lifted again so that the two molds on it are forced to penetrate within case 31, while those outside on the left are lifted by their respective frame 44 until the left-hand rods 47 penetrate entirely within them and within the corresponding holes in the two compressed blocks contained in said forms. At this point the operator opens the bottom 36 of said molds and extracts from them two formed blocks, after which he closes said bottom and sets punches 13 and vibrator 52 to work. The whole cycle then starts all over again.

It can easily be understood that if bins 49 are not set in vibration, the powdered material within them will not fall, being restrained and slightly compressed by the preceding vibration on the pierced bottom 50 and therefore, when the vibrator 52 has been stopped and the external molds descend from the rods, they will carry with them only the material contained in them up to the level established by bottom 50 Within them. From panel 22, by means of levers 53, 54 and 55 (Fig. 10), three groups of valves are operated, indicated in the diagram respectively with the letters A, B, C. The cases of said groups of valves are intercommunicating by means of the two tubes 56 and 57. 58 is the common exhaust tube.

What I claim is:

1. In an apparatus for hydraulically dry molding perforated tiles, an open-top open bottom mold receiving case, means mounting said case for vertical movement, and a sensing device comprising an element within and independent of said case for engaging and being shifted by a mold entering the case, and an element carried by said case and normally spaced from said first-named elements and engageable with said first-named element upon movement of said case prior to movement of said firstnamed element.

2. A combination as set forth in claim 1 wherein portions of the elements are in vertical registration.

3. in an apparatus for hydraulically dry molding perforated tile, a press platform, a mold, a support shiftably carrying said mold from a position over said platform to a position remote therefrom, and a mold filling apparatus comprising a frame fixed to the platform and carrying mold engaging arms for lifting the mold off said support when the platform rises and the support is holding the mold away from the platform, a fixed material container above said frame, said container being of transverse crosssection slightly smaller than the mold so as to be enterable in the mold, the bottom of said container being perforated, means to vibrate said container to feed material into the mold, and rods extending from the bottom of the container to perform openings in the material fed into the mold.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 816,831 Tracy et a1. Apr. 3, 1906 943,797 Short Dec. 21, 1909 1,958,184 Cross May 8, 1934 2,444,339 Dinzl June 29, 1948 2,531,245 Bailey Nov. 21, 1950 2,542,874 Locatelli Feb. 20, 1951 2,620,540 Weir Dec. 9, 1952 2,649,943 Meyers Aug. 25, 1953 

